The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Dong Thap provincial People’s Committee held a ceremony to announce the first mango exports to the U.S.
Director of Chanh Thu Fruits Import-Export Company Limited Nguyen Thu Hong reported that the exported mangos were purchased from My Xuong mango collective in accordance with Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGap). Mango farms, processing and packaging companies must obtain a code from the Vietnamese Plant Protection Department and the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for management and traceability to export to the U.S.
Vice Chairman of the provincial people’s committee Nguyen Thanh Hung said that the province is home to 9,200 hectares of mangoes, producing 100,000 tons of the fruit per year, topping the Mekong Delta region.
Dong Thap has applied Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGap) and Global Good Agricultural Practices (GlobalGap) in mango cultivation, which has helped to improve quality. This has also contributed to raising farmer incomes to around VND 250-350 million (US$ 10,869-15,217) per year.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Danh said that Vietnamese dragon fruit, longan, litchi and caimito have been permitted in the U.S. market.
Vietnam has exported mangoes to more than 40 markets, including the EU, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. However, export volumes were modest, at just 4% of the total productivity./.
By Kim Loan